Combing machine for textile fibers



Dec. 19, 1944. w, NAS ITH' 2,3 5,210

' GOMBING MACHINE FOR TEXTILE FIBERS a Filed Sept. 19. 1941 I 122 van Mr:-

Patented Dec. 19, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1

I ooiimmemonnirizg max m-meniscus, Q r

' John WilliamNasmith,Heaton'Merscy,

. Manchester, England 4 Claims.

The invention relates tocombing machines :of the rectilinear type in which a nipper is employed consisting of upper and lower nipper jaws, and

which nipper reciproczatesgin the operationof the machine, to and vfrom the-detaching means fora combedfiber tuft. Insuch machines, as is :known, the nipper during eachstroke opens automatically during the feed and :tuftdetaching periods and closestightly byspring pressureon itsibackward .movement for the-actual combingperiod, that is to say, when the needles of the .combingcylinder :of the machine are passing through the tuft f fibers held by 'thenipper; 'It :is necessary :from

time to time when the'machine isstoppedstoopen .to the upper;nipper jaw is continuous; inpthers the spring is dead during thetuft sdetachin period, and if the machine is stopped at that point thespring pressure is easilyremoved. This isnot the case however when the .nipper'isclosed and the spring pressure is in full application. In

all cases 'it is necessary, when the nipper jaws have been opened, to propthe jawsopen whilst attention .is being given to the feed rollers within. This again .is inconvenient, due to the compactness of the machine parts at that point and .the proximity of the 'needlesaof the top comb to the fingers ofthe operator.

The object .of the present invention is the :provision of means whereby the nipper :can be instantaneously opened widely without effort when the machine is stopped--ev,en.if .closedand ,under spring .pressure at the'momentof such stoppage and will be 'heldin that open condition auto- 'matically untilclosedfor restarting. Toathiszend {the invention consists, in'a combing machine of .the type defined, .in;a .spring .co-acting with .the nipper jaw in such a manner that thecontinued backward movementof the nipper after thejaws have closed upon the tuft of fibers to be combed is accompaniedbyclosingzpressure applied to the upper nipper jaw, the other extremity of the spring being anchored upon manually releasable means. Thus the mere release by hand of the latter, which is most conveniently a. pivoted latch, causes elimination of the spring effect and also causes bodily movement of the spring as a whole, to open the nipper jaw widely and to maintain it in that condition until restored to operative position.

In rectilinear combing machines of the wellknown Nasmith type two forms of nipper movement are in use, which for my present purpose may be differentiated broadly as having, in one .form. the swinging nipper hinged ;on:a' pointbelow the combining eylinder; the nipper, :in the other form of :machine, .hinging .upon a pointsituated above such combing .cylinder. The-application of 5 this ;;present invention to rcombing machines .of both forms, fora full understanding 101 such in yention, .will now be .described with .-reierence to the drawing annexed, wherein .Figure 1 is :a side viewof spring mechanism'and accessories as applied :to a =combing machine in which the znipperzswings upone-a point below the bomb n ylinder. fl heinipper jaw in this figure is @open, and ,E'igure :2 @is a .side View of the same whenthenipper jaw has closed upon thelower and-closin pressure is about :to be applied.

Figure 3-is asideviewofspring mechanism'and accessories as applied to the other form ;of

Nasmith combin .rmachine abov referred :to, Whilst Eigllres 14 and 45 :ShoW details of certain '20 parts, disassembled. to assist in the explanation hereinafterzfollowinaof Figure 3.

Referring first tofigures .11 and 2, the upper 'nippe r jaw is indicated at i3,qbein g borne by the arm 4 :and :the lower nipper ,jaw at 5. The arm at 45 as usual, and ,in operation .the whole :nipper .reciprocates in \known :m nneralong e .arcuate path .3, reaching, :on the backward stroke, the position indicated :by the pivot (6 in -broken lines. The feed rollers :1 within @the nipper are also as usual ,and-the.usual combing cylinder is=indicated .at "8. Upon :the ;pin .5 ibornezby. the .arm :4 .is pinivoted the extremity of link sill the upper extremity :of whi h is pivoted upon. :pivot min :i I carried :by :the lever 42 which itself p vots up n ,pin 1'3 fixed .in the framing ,of the machine 14. :At .the :upper. ,extremityiof .the yertical arm .of the lever ;-l 2 ,:is;tfitted the swivel al'5 whichmeceives the threaded shank 41-6 of theitensien sprin 11. The 40 other extremity of the said spr ng .is' anchor upon the pin 48 home bythelever :member l9 pivoted 18.11120 Jthe draining 1.4 .:at the .front .of machine. and pn this pin .118 zllpon s lever 1 :there iszpivoted :thescatchiil .which enga es normallyashoulder :22 iformed in the :machine fram- :ing asshcwn. illhe pivoted lever member 49 .and its associated catch 2| form a latch. :Alscfixed in the machine framing is the tapped pin 23, which serves as holder for the adjustable stop member 24, which makes contact normally with the vertical arm of the lever I2. When the nipper is open during the tuft detaching period the said vertical arm of the lever I2 is held by the sprin I! against the stop 24.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows:

In normal working, the nipper reciprocates along the arcuate path a, to and from the detaching rollers shown in Figure 1 at 25. -On the backward movement of the nipper, the upper jaw 3 closes upon the lower jaw 3 about midway of 4 carryin :the upper n pper jaw: is pivoted its pathsee Figure 2. The lower extremity of the link l has followed this movement, its pivot point 9 following the arcuate path indicated at 1 Thus, as the backward movement of the nipper continues, and the nipper closes, this link l0 pushes lever 12 round on its pivot I3 to the right as viewed in the drawing, being pushed away from stop 24, and tension of the spring I! is thus transferred from the stop, in anincreasin degree, to the upper nipper jaw during the'rest of the nipper movement backwardly, When, the machine being stopped, it is necessary to open the nipper jaws widely, it is only necessary to exert manual pressure upon the projecting end of the lever l9 and lift the end of the catch 2| to release the same. The tension of thespring is thus released and the said spring being also bodily moved over, the pivot point l8 moves upon the are e. Lever I9 is pushed to the right, the upper nipper jaw 3 thus opening widely and remaining in that condition until the parts are again restored to operative position by re-arrangement of the catch 2|.

One set of the mechanism is described, but it is duplicated at the other side of the combing machine head, as will be understood.

Describing now the modification illustrated in Figure 3 and its companion Figures 4 and 5, there is shown the lever 26 which is part of the comb operating mechanism of a machine head and is fixed upon an oscillated shaft to be oscillated about centre 27. See U. S. Patent No. 1,369,532,

- issued February 22, 1921, Figure 6 of the drawing thereto, in which lever 2| is oscillated by the shaft W and compresses the spring N on backward movement of the nipper N3 from detaching rollers D, d. In this present invention the lever 26 is as to its general functions equivalent to the lever 2| of the prior specification, but upon the said lever 26 there is pivoted at 29 the forked spring shank IS the lower extremity of which is' pivoted as shown upon the upper nipper jaw. The spring H is a compression spring, and in Figure 3 it is compressed, the nipper being thus in closed condition. The lower end of the lever 28 abuts against the lever 26 at point 3|- see Figures 4 and 5and is held in that position by means of the catch 2| hinging on the lever 26 and engaging as shown in Figure 3 upon the shoulder 22 of the lever 28. This lever and the catch 2| form a latch. In both showings a lever and a catch form the latch, release of which nullifies the spring effect and displaces the spring and the nipper jaw, as set forth in the claims now on file. Due to the position of swivel IS the compressive effect of the spring I! in the position shown in Figure 3 is exerted upon the right of pivot point 29.

The spring arrangement described follows the movement of the upper nipper jaw, spring compression being at its maximum in the closed condition of the nipper jaws and position of lever 26 as shown. When the machine is stopped catch 2| is raised by the operator pressing on the arm of lever 28, this permitting the raising of latch lever 28 around its pivot point 29 with consequent bodily displacement of the swivel |5 to the left as seen in broken lines in Figure 3. The spring is thus dead and the nipper open until the parts are restored to Working position.

As in the first form described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, one set of mechanism is shown in Figure 3, but as will be understood this is duplicated on the other side of the combin head.

I claim:

1. In a textile combing machine having upper and lower nipper jaws, a spring adapted to apply closing force to the upper nipper jaw .on backward movement of the nipper jaw pair in the operation of the machine, such spring being bodily displaceable, a normally locked and releasable latch member, and connecting means between the spring and a movable part of such latch member and between such spring and the upper nipper jaw, the movable part of the latch member, spring, and connections being movable together on release of the latch member, the resultant movement of the upper nipper jaw beinga-n opening movement.

2. In a textile combing machine having upper and lower nipper jaws, a tension spring, a normally locked and releasable latch member, a connection between the spring and a movable part of such latch member, and further connections between the spring and the upper nipper jaw, such further connections having spring-extending movement with the nipper jaw pair on backward movement of the latter, the assembly being bodily displaceable on spring-release movement of the movable part of the latch member with resultant openingof the upper nipper jaw.

3. In a textile combing machine having upper and lower nipper jaws, a normally locked and releasable latch member, and a compressible spring fitted between a movable part of such latch member and the upper nipper jaw and compressed on backward movement of the nipper jaw pair, such spring being bodily displaceable with spring-release movement of the movable part of the latch member with resultant maintained opening of the upper nipper jaw.

4. In a textile combing machine as claimed in claim 3, a lever pivoted in the machine and forming part of the operating mechanism thereof and thus being stationary when the machine is stopped upon which operational lever the movable part of the releasable latch member with its borne spring connection is pivoted.

JOHN WILLIAM NASMITH. 

